Portable battery-powered communication devices are advantageous in many environments, and particularly in public safety environments such as fire rescue, first responder, and mission-critical environments. Such devices are often used in conjunction with accessories that facilitate remote operation of one or more device features and/or additional features. The accessory is typically coupled to the portable communication device via a plurality of interface contacts. When the portable communication device is used without the accessory, these interface contacts may be exposed to undesirable environmental conditions. Exposure of the interface contacts to moisture, particularly salt water, can lead to contact corrosion and such contact corrosion can be problematic to reconnection of the accessory. Exposed interface contacts which feature a live voltage contact in proximity to a ground contact are particularly susceptible to corrosion causing unreliable connections that can potentially lead to communication failures and false triggers of accessory detection. Approaches used to address such issues need to be mindful of current drain.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method which enables a portable communication device to provide an improved interface for accessory detection which addresses the issue of contact corrosion.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.